Round cornered folding box



Sept 19, 1950 v. R. PANTALONE ErAL 2,523,251

ROUND coRNERED FOLDING Box 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Aug. 17, 1949 r 4 r fr 7 w k Si mw m.

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ATTON C- YS sept 19, 1950 v. R. PANTALONE ErAL 2,523,251

ROUND coRNERED FOLDING Box Filed Aug. 17, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q MARSHALL l. WILLIAMSON INVENToRs A USTIN,WILHELMI CAPLSON Wim Mui Arron/ve v5,

mised sept 19, 195o UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE noUNn consuman FOLDING nox l Vincent B. Pantalone, Hamden, and Marshall I. Williamson, New Haven, Conn., assignors to National Folding Box Company, Inc., New Haven, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Anuman am: 11, 1949. serial No.v i1o,a4z

(ci. 22a-is) 4 Claims. l This invention relates to improvements in folding boxes and provides more particularly an inexpensive box which is distinctive in appearance and is particularly suited for the packaging of goods calling for an attractive package, such as toilet soap.

The invention provides more particularly a round cornered folding box which may -be used with or without anoverwrap and which, wrapped or unwrapped, differs in appearance from the conventional square cornered box, but retains certain important functional features, such as flat surfaces of suillciently large area to permit stacking of boxes for storage, shipment, or display purposes.

Folding boxes incorporating the present invention comprise box panels which are substantially octagonal in shape. Octagonal boxes are, of course, not novel per se. Nevertheless, the boxes incorporating the present invention differ from the conventional octagonal boxes in that the enclosing walls are joined along curved rather than angular wall portions.

In the manufacture of round cornered boxes certain difficulties are experienced which are overcome by the present design as will be pointed out hereinafter.

The invention thus provides certain objects, features and advantages which will appear more fully from the detailed description which follows accompanied by drawings, showing, for the purpose of illustration, a preferred embodimentof the invention. The invention also consists in certain new and original featuresvofconstruction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and claimed.

Although the characteristic features of this invention which are believed to be novel will be particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto, the invention itself, its objects and advantages and the manner in which it may be carried out may be better understood by referring to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings -forming a part of it in which:

Figure l is a plan view of a. flat blank from which a folding box embodying the invention may be formed;

Figures 2 and 3 are sectional views illustrating two distinct manners of forming crease lines in the blank of Figure l;

Figure 4 is a plan view of a flat collapsed tubular blank structure formed from the blank of Figure 1 ready for expanding into hollow box form;

the completed box formed from the blanlrofvv Figure 1; and

Figure 6 is a cross sectional view illustrating l a preferred form of crease line.

In the following description and in the claims various details will be identiiledbyspeciilc names for convenience. The-names', however. are intended to be as generic Ain their 'application as the artv will permit. :Corresponding reference characters refer to corresponding'parts in the several flgures of the drawings.`

In the drawings accompanying, and. formingv part of, this specification, certain disclosure of the invention is made for the purpose of explanation of broader aspects ofthe invention, but it is understood that the details may be modified -in various respect without departure from the broad principles of the invention and that the invention may be applied to other structures than the ones shown.

Ihe blank A shown in Figure l may be cut and scored in multiple from large sheets or rolls of paperboard or other suitable foldable sheet material.

The blank comprises an end panel Il, a side wall panel I2, a. further end panel I3 and a further side Wall panel I4. The panels are hingedly interconnected along end fold lines I5, Ii and I1. A terminal glue lap I8 is hingedly connected to the side wall panel I4 along a further end fold line I9. .2 1

The end panels II and I3, are substantially octagonai in shape and include four free beveled sides 20. 2|, 22, 23 and 24, 25, 26 and 21 respectively. These sides preferably extend at an angle of degrees with respect to the remaining sides and to the end fold lines, although different angles may be employed, if desired.

Side flaps 29, 29, 30 and 3l are hingedly connected to opposite sides of the end panels along end fold lines 32, 22, 34 and 35 extending substantially at right angles to the end fold lines I5, I6, I1 and I9.

A series of panels extends from one side edge of the side wall panel I2 and includes a strip panel I6, a wall panel 31, a further strip panel Il and a tuck flap or tuck panel 39. These panels are hingedly interconnected along side fold lines 4I, 42, and 43 and are hingedly connected to the side wall panel I2 along a side fold line 40.

A corresponding series of .panels 44, 45, 4l and 41 extends from the side wall panels I4 in the opposite direction, the interconnecting fold lines being 48, 49, and 5I.

The fold lines Il, I6, I1 and I9 may be produced in a conventional manner tion while .the scoring rules represent the male lportion of the die. v

The scoring procedure illustrated in Figure 2 is quite satisfactory for forming the crease lines I5, I6, I1 and I9 along which the blank is folded in the process of setting up the box.

If, however, the same scoring procedure is followed in forming 'the crease lines for the wall panels, the strip panels and the tuck panels difficulties are generally encountered. It is easily seen that the scoring as illustrated inFigure 2 involves stretching of the stock between the scoring rules. If the distance between the scoring rules is great or if the board is of particularly high and tough grade little dimculty is generally encountered. If, however, the scoring rules are closely spaced, as they must be for forming the because of the rounded effect of the edges along whichthe enclosing wall panels and strip panels are joined.

In spite of the weakening of the side fold lines by interrupted cuts the stock does not crease along these lines ata sharp angle. This is mainly due to a deformation of .the stockby'the cutting edge of the knives 59 and 30.

As illustrated in Figures 3 and 6 the cut edges of the stock do not remain perfectly dat at the cuts but are drawn towards the make-ready to some extent so that after withdrawal of the cutting knives the stock has the appearance as shown.in Figure '6 illustrating the substantially bordering scores for the strip panels, the board frequently cracks as indicated at 51 in Figure 2. The crack 51 weakens the board to such an extent that the board will crease at the crack rather than at the score lines impressed into the stock. This leads to the formation of -a misshapen box.

For this reason the score lines 40, 4I, 42 and 43 and the score lines 48, 49, 50 and 5I are preferably formed by spaced cuts 58 formed by cutting knives 59, 60 as shown yin Figure 3. The cutting knives 59 and 60 do not depress the stock 52 into the female portions of the die to the extent of blunt rules and do not c ause the stock to tear or crack for this reason.

'I'he main object of the particular scoring is to cause both closely spaced creases of each such pair to bend or break simultaneously andv equally, which neither solid creases nor cut scores will do.

The cuts 58 extend entirely through the board leaving between them uncut portions 6I along which the respective panels remain connected. The length of the cut portions may be varied with respect to the length of the uncut portions 6I to provide for any desired degree of foldability of the stock at the score line thus produced. The blank may be folded with ease without prebreaking of the scores leading to the formation of uniform correctly shaped boxes in mass production. y

The end fold line 32, 33, 34 'and 35 may be produced by cutting according to the procedure illustrated in Figure 3 but may also be formed by blunt scoring rules as shown in Figure 2.

The assembly of the blank A into box form may proceed as follows:

Adhesive is applied to the terminal glue lap I3 and the blank .is then folded about the end fold lines I5 and I1 respectively to bring the end panel II into adhesive engagement with the terminal glue lap I8.

, The-resulting structure A is shown in Figure i and may be shipped and stored in at condition requiring only a minimum of space.

` The tubular structure A' is converted into a hollow box by squaring of its panels I I, I2, I3 and I4 whereafter the side flaps 28, 29, 30 and 3l may 4V-shaped indentations 62 at the cuts. The displaced material appears in the form of -ridges or beads 63 which upon folding of the stock prevent a sharp angle from being formed at the score lines due to the crowding of the stock at the points 63. Y

Thus the advantage of an attractively rounded corner is obtained in addition to the easy folding of the stock.

The finished box A" may be overwrapped, if desired. Its .large parallel surfaces I2 and I4 as well as its flat end surfaces I I and I3 permit convenient stacking of merchandise packaged in the boxes.

The invention thus provides an inexpensive folding box of attractive and distinctive appearance. The box may be for-med from relatively inexpensive paperboard, may be glued at extremely high rates on conventional machines and two connecting strips-,hingedly connecting said further side wall panels to said first mentioned side Wall panels along substantially parallel side fold lines; a pair of tuck aps; and two further connecting strips connecting saidv tuck flaps to said further side wall panels along substantially parallel side fold lines, said end panels being substantially octagonal and including four free beveled sides lying face-to-face with said connecting strips in set up condition of the box.

2. The box structure set forth in the preceding claim in which the side fold lines bordering said connecting strips are formed by spaced cuts extending through the'stock. y

3. A round cornered folding box particularly suited as a soap shell, the box comprising two opposed substantially octagonal end panels, said end panels being'bordered, in alternating order, by end fold lines and free cut edges; a pair of opposed side wall panels hingedly connected to said end wall panels along a pair of opposed aforementioned end fold lines; a pair of opposedA aps hingedly connected to each of said end panels along the-remaining aforementioned end l fold lines; two further side wall panels; 'two-con 4 necting strips hingedly connecting said further be infolded and the panel assemblies 36, 31, 38

' 4. A blank for around cornered' folding be;

assaau comprising two wall panels and two end panels lying in alternating sequence and being hingedLv connected along parallel end fold lines, said end panels being of substantially octagonal shape in#- cluding four non-adjacent beveled free bordering panel edges; a series of further panels hingedly` extending, in one direction from one of said wall panels along a side fold line normal to the end fold lines, and a series of further panels hingedly extending, in the opposite direction, from the other side wall panel along a side fold line normal to the end fold lines, each series comprising a first strip panel adjacent the respective wall No references cited 

